A Woof and A Mars
by Kerstae
Summary: Pre-series AU A prequel to all of my stories for when Keith Mars was still Sheriff in Neptune and a fateful night brings a very important member of the Mars family home. 2 years before Lillys murder. Getting Baked, All Sorts of Caring, She Would Return, Induratize thyself Logan Echolls, A Room with a View, Legendary, Surfing on the moon, Mutually Awkward, Chillin Like a Villian.


There were few things in life that gave Sheriff Keith Mars as much satisfaction, apart from perhaps his pride in his daughter's achievements, as the feeling he got after a big bust like this. Maria Boyd and her deadbeat boyfriend Marcus Kavanagh had fallen into the sting he'd set up at the Rusty Knot Strip Club with his Criminal Informant Lauren Sorrell, three of the Fitzpatrick's brothers and two of their cousins, and four of the top lieutenant's in Neptune's personal answer to the Irish Mafia had been successfully caught running a prostitution ring, dealing drugs and supplying guns from the Private VIP booths in the back.

There were a handful of other offenses and several other arrests, but he didn't hold up much hope for some of those making as far as the courtroom. A lot of wealthy prominent 09er's and Court Officiates liked to frequent this particular night club away from the prying eyes of their wives.

 _A guy could easily make a living out of snapping up the indiscretions of these sorry excuses as they took their purchases with them to the Serenity Inn just a few blocks away from here._ Sheriff Mars thought.

He still didn't understand what could be so alluring about a stranger or enticing about the thrill of the danger that any man or woman would risk breaking up their family and risking it all for some fleeting pleasure. Then again, he was a rarity in Neptune; he was a traditional family man and passionate law enforcement professional. More ambitious guys in his line of work would have been chasing that spot on Agent Faulkner's FBI team that he'd been offered after that E-String Killer case had started up a few years ago. His wife Lianne still couldn't hide her disappointment that he wasn't chasing up a bigger role with another agency like the ATF or taking that consultant role in the DA's office.

Sure the money was better, and the cases were that bit more headline worthy and attention grabbing, but the real joy he got after 29 years of working law enforcement, was the changes he could see in his community since he had taken over as Sheriff 8 years ago. It was in getting scumbags like Tyrone and Ciaran Fitzpatrick off the streets, it was about getting real justice in whatever small ways he could for women like Marissa Toomes whose son had been murdered by the pair although he couldn't prove it directly. The body had never been found, although Keith was sure it was in the foundations of the new Neptune Leisure and Spa complex, but he couldn't get a judge to sign the excavation order, the McCoy and Gleason land trust kept throwing legal hurdles in the way, and it was only a hunch after all.

They would go down for the charges tonight though; it gave him some small sense of accomplishment. It was just a pity that his deceased partner and best friend Deputy Mitch Deveraux couldn't be here to share in the take down, it was hard to believe it had almost been a year now since that day, a routine call about a potential domestic and one fool hardy new recruit Deputy Hugo Briar out to prove himself rushing in without backup had resulted in the situation escalating and the Cajun officer being stabbed by a kitchen knife in the front yard. Briar's replacement Deputy Donald Lamb, wasn't much better.

"What do you want us to do with this one Sheriff?" Deputy Myers called as he stood beside a 36 year old strung out woman, standing in an outfit which barely covered anything, closer inspection of her gaunt appearance, showed she wasn't much more than skin and bones, he could see the meth-rot in her teeth, she stood clutching a cigarette in one hand, her purple wiry hair and her glazed over eyes, he looked at the yellow flower tattoo covering her arm. He'd seen this woman several times before; she'd been booked for solicitation and was a regular client of his former roommate Cliff McCormack's. This would be her fourth strike in 7 months, she would be sent away after this, he could be tempted to be lenient with her, wrong place wrong time, she'd just wanted to hook an easy score, but by the looks of her, a year or so locked up, in a programme and regular meals could very well save this woman's life, then she'd probably end up right back here again a few months after her release. He'd seen it all too many times before.

Weary from a long night he nodded at the Deputy to proceed with the arrest.

"Hey!" Candy protested pointing towards the crapped out sun-bleached green Cadillac Cimarron parked by the clubs entrance as Myers started to recite the official arrest statement. "What about my dawgs?" she snapped, her speech was slurred as he slapped the cuffs on her.

"Your dogs?" Keith asked, walking closer to the woman, following her line of sight.

"Just had a litter of pups about 8 weeks ago… I was bringing them down for Tyrone before you assholes showed up" she complained.

"Are the keys in your bag?" Sheriff Mars asked, looking at the fluffy pink bag that had been discarded on the floor.

"Yeah…" she cursed.

"I'll take care of these… get her down to the station, and maybe stop at Wendy's on the way by, pick her and the other two up something… I think the Public defender's office is closed for the night… she'd be in there until morning" Keith told Myers. He might be arresting her again, but that didn't mean that he was going to let her spend the night strung out, starving and cold, worrying about those dogs in a cell either.

"What you doing with my Dawgs?" she demanded.

"I'll get them left down to the Balboa County Pound" he assured her.

"WHAT? Those Dawgs are pure-breds! I want my money! $3000 a piece they are!" she shrieked as she struggled against the restraints.

"Unfortunately, they are now the property of the Balboa County evidence department" the Sheriff told her calmly before her heavily made up face contorted in rage and she tried to spit at him.

"You want to add assaulting an officer and resisting arrest to you rap sheet?" Deputy Myers threatened as he yanked her arms back a little too far.

"Hey!" Keith protested. "Civil Rights.. she's still got them" he reminded the Deputy. "Although, perhaps that Wendy's order will come with a diet cola instead of a coffee" he suggested as he reached in and took the keys, a very prominent lucky rabbits foot keychain caught his attention, although on closer inspection… it wasn't a rabbits foot. It was a canine foot, probably from a Pomeranian.

"You aren't getting away with this Mars!" Ciaran Fitzpatrick snarled as he was led out of the club towards the other squad car.

"Keep moving" DEA Agent Calder said as he pushed the man forwards.

"This was a great result" Agent Getty commended Keith as he handed him the final arrest report that evening and the two men watched as Ciaran was put into the back of the DEA van with his two brothers.

"It was nice to finally get those three off the streets, although, I'm just sorry we couldn't help you get the bigger fish" Keith replied.

"There's always another supplier, there's always another runner, but this should certainly slow them down for a while" the taller man assured him. "You ever get tired of small town life Keith… we could use a man with your instincts" he smiled, his grey eyes knowing that the recruitment speech was really a fool's errand.

"I am happy where I am… Small town Sheriff… I got to think of my family… but thank you" Keith smiled shaking the older man's hand.

Did he sometimes long for the thrill of taking down the real puppet masters behind men like the Fitzpatrick's? Sure. But he was still in the game, and even here in Neptune, getting home safely to his wife and daughter wasn't guaranteed. He had a good thing going here, a house in a great neighbourhood, a loving family, a great pension and good benefits. He was his own boss and the Sheriff's department was his own home. The people of Neptune had elected him as their Sheriff for the third year running, it made him feel a sense of obligation, and it was a role he took seriously. He'd seen as a Deputy under Sheriff Bedenbaugh's leadership what happened to the town when the wrong kind of man took charge of a role like his. The Fitzpatrick's never should have gotten as deep a foothold into the local businesses like they had in the River Styxx and that beauty parlour Cupid's Bow.

He bid the rest of the task force farewell and waited until the last of the patrons and witnesses had been interviewed, grabbing a few bottles of water from the Rusty Knot hostess at the door before he took Deputy Sachs and went to rescue those pups. There were 6 in total, five small tan and white American pitbull's cuddled sleeping in their box and one all brown male, standing guard, barking at him through the window.

"The pound are sending a guy over, shouldn't be more than twenty minutes" Sachs told him.

"Alright… good work tonight" Keith told him as he looked at the scrawny deputy with the porn star moustache.

"Thanks Sheriff" he smiled.

The deputy had only started a few months ago, a transfer up from Weller, he was still a little green but he was a good man. He'd be a great asset to the department. Deputy Lamb on the other hand… the second he stepped out of line, Keith was going to use whatever power he could to get him removed or transferred. Something about his playboy polished veneer rubbed Keith up the wrong way, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was the kind of man who would jumping at the chance of an offer like the one Agent Getty had just given him, no matter who he had to step on to get it.

The pup barked at Keith again in frustration, he had no idea how warm it was in that small car backseat so he reached for one of the new collars and leads he'd asked Deputy Myers to pick up from the Walmart across the street. The pup jumped up eager at the glass window, yelping as the door was opened and Keith slid into the passenger seat to try and get hold of the jumping canine. The pup grabbed hold of Keith's coat sleeve and tried to chew his arm, protectively shielding his sleeping siblings, some of whom had woken up and were crying. He smiled at the fearless ball of fluff trying to subdue the unknown assailant; he was a spirited little thing.

He caught hold of him, wrapping the collar around his surprisingly thick neck and sighed as the small dog used the opportunity to voice his displeasure by urinating on his coat. Thankfully it was waterproof.

"Looks like he got you good…" Sachs commented as he stood beside him with the rest of the things in the bag.

The pup barked in agreement and tried to nibble Keith's nose, defeated, Keith held onto the pup as he clicked the leash into place and climbed back out of the car taking the offending animal with him. Placing him on the ground beside the bowl of water there, the pit-bull pup lapped up the water eagerly, and then stood to attention, barking as the Deputy climbed into the driver's seat to begin putting collars on his littermates. Once assured that each of the other five weren't being mistreated, he went back to gobbling up the dry dog food on offer, and then proceeded to sniff around his siblings, in turn making sure each was also getting their share, biting at the leash occasionally to try and break free. He had a wilful spirit, high energy, just like his daughter.

Tired of trying to control the rebellious pup Keith picked him up and put him in the front seat of his squad car while he changed out of his DEA issued coat and pulled on his own Sheriffs jacket, he jumped around at first, sniffing each new item, trying to chew on the air-freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror. He finally settled on chewing his Sheriffs hat and Keith sighed.

"New Partner?" Cliff McCormack laughed as he approached his friend.

"One of Candy's recent business ventures" Keith told him as he regarded the lawyer standing beside him.

"I was having dinner on the Boardwalk when I saw the commotion… I figured I would make my services avail.. Perhaps save you some of the paperwork?" Cliff explained.

"Always so thoughtful" Keith smiled, occasionally they had to clash due to being on opposite sides sometimes, but the rivalry was always done in good humour.

"Sheriff Mars?" a tall thin African American man asked.

"How can I help you?" the Sheriff replied.

"Balboa County Animal Control?" he answered.

"Ah yes… if you see my colleague Deputy Sachs" Keith replied, pointing to the Deputy holding the leashes being surrounded by some of the ladies who worked in the strip club cooing over the pups.

"Bow wow!" the Animal Control Officer jokes as he looked at the scantily clad women and picked up the first of his pet collection boxes.

"You know Lianne will kill you…." Cliff commented as he watched Keith eyeing up the small pup falling asleep curled up on the front seat with his head resting on his cap.

"Yeah… I know…." Keith sighed staring at the snoring pooch.

At fourteen, any other night of the week Veronica was usually asleep at this late hour, but it was a Saturday night and her best friend Lilly Kane was spending the night, so it wasn't that surprising to Keith that he found both the blond teens t curled up on the couch with their fluffy bed socks on, in their pyjamas watching the latest Connor Larkin movie "A Magical Night in Rome" their lips blue from sipping on slushies and discarded sweet wrappers on the floor. His wife Lianne, sitting reading a book in the armchair beside them pretending not to be as every bit engrossed in the film as she sipped on a cup of tea.

"Hey Mr Mars" Lilly smiled cheerfully in her usual peppy voice.

"Hi Dad!" Veronica smiled barely turning her head in his direction.

Woof! The small dog protested as he pulled against the lead again, jumping against Keith's leg.

Almost at once both girls whipped their head around over the edge of the couch to look at the small fur ball intruder.

"Keith…?" Lianne said in a slow warning tone.

"A puppy!" Veronica exclaimed as both of the girl erupted from their seats in a shower of candy wrappers and blankets to come into the hallway to pet the dog.

"Omg he is so cute!" Lilly said as she reached for the pup and scratched behind his ear.

"What kind is he?" Veronica asked immediately as she scratched his belly as her dad let go of the leash and stepped over to his wife.

"I think he's a pit-bull… Logan wanted his Mom to get one before she bought Luffah their alpaca" Lilly told her as the two girls fussed over the dog.

"I thought we said we were going to discuss this…" Lianne sighed quietly, setting her book on the side table.

"He's evidence…" Keith sighed. In truth the Animal Control vehicle did have enough spaces to take him as well… but when the older Mars had climbed into his car and saw the little soldier finally resting after a hard night protecting his littermates, his heart had melted. It had been Veronica's birthday wish for the last two years to get a dog, and Keith as he had stroked the sleeping animal at his side he honestly couldn't find any more reasons for them not to let her.

"Who is going to take care of him?" Lianne reasoned. There had been so many reasons why she hadn't wanted a dog, the smell for one thing, the chewing on the furniture… the extra responsibility that would keep her pinned to the house if her lover Jake Kane wanted could get away for a "business trip" and Keith was at one of those training weekends…

"I will…. Daddy can we keep him?" Veronica said, her big blue eyes pleading with her parents. "Please…" she begged.

"Please…. Please… I'll help! I've been missing a dog ever since Celeste got rid of Molly" Lilly added. Both girls turning their big blue eyes, and best sad puppy faces.

 _They could practically have been sisters…_ the thought made Lianne shudder.

"It would be nice to have another guy around the house…." Keith admitted, also giving his wife the pleading stare and the puppy whined a little as he nibbled on Veronica's finger.

She wasn't going to win this fight… and perhaps the guilt of her affair was clouding her decisions a little.

"Oh alright!" she laughed. "But he isn't sleeping on the couch!" Lianne agreed and Keith gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Really?" Veronica beamed as both she and Lilly jumped up and hugged her mother.

"Welcome to the Mars family little guy" Keith said as he reached down and stroked the rebellious little pit-bull.


End file.
